How to reset AutoCAD Electrical Catalog back to default?

[StevenGLSF29]

Hello,

I have been trying to perform a fresh install of AutoCAD Electrical 2025. I was messing around with the catalog database and made a new family called "PDB" for distribution blocks. Because the first character is ignored, the family table created was "DB". I have since done a fresh install of ACAD and removed the "DB" table.   

Now on my fresh install - whenever I place a distribution block and select "look up" it prompts me with an error trying to find that family. If I am not mistaken it should be looking in the "TRMS" family. How can I get AutoCAD Electrical back to defaults and reset the catalog? I deleted the catalog files, emptied the temp folder, program files, program files x86, local and roaming files and tried to reinstall again. Still having the same issue. No matter what I have tried placing the component and doing the lookup causes it to still look for this family in the database. 

[james.mcmillanNYR6A]

Refer to the symbol naming convention, look at the standalone terminal section

https://help.autodesk.com/view/ACAD_E/2024/ENU/?guid=GUID-426D2FCD-D82A-4FB7-A657-28D8B2EC336D

[StevenGLSF29]

Okay - So I see that "DB" is listed for Distribution blocks in the Family type. But why is this missing from the default catalog? Wouldn't doing a fresh install get me the latest default catalog and family types?

[james.mcmillanNYR6A]

I don't think AutoCAD comes with the family DB, I may be wrong as I am using an older catalogue.

is DB in your catalogue? if so then refer to another suitable section from the linked document for your naming convention.

If you want it to look in the TRMS family as you said previously, have you tried renaming your block as per the naming convention for terminals?

[StevenGLSF29]

I thought it was linked by default to the TRMS Family, but now I'm having doubts. I'm doing an install on another machine to see if "DB" is its own family list. I'm just trying to get ACAD E back to all factory defaults. 

[james.mcmillanNYR6A]

sorry, I might have answered the wrong question then...

reset settings to default in the start menu

[StevenGLSF29]

I tried this and still had the same result.  I also did another install on a different machine and still can't find the DB Family.

Here is the generic 3PH Power Distribution block I'm using, (HDB1350 in my case)

I feel like I'm going insane... You mean to tell me that by default this block is looking for a table that doesn't exist? I am so stumped. This is from another PC with it installed for the very first time.

[StevenGLSF29]

I can confirm that another coworker installed AutoCAD Electrical 2025 for the first time. Did the steps above placing the PDB symbol. Doing a lookup, it attempts to try find the DB table which doesn't exist and creates the error message. 

So, I guess I'm going to have to make the DB family table after all. Sorry to waste your time. 

[james.mcmillanNYR6A]

So, could be another prime example of autocad not working with itself, I wasn't aware of the DB components.

Yes, by the naming convention of the block eg. *DB autocad is trying to look in the DB table, which obviously doesn't exist

[james.mcmillanNYR6A]

hopefully one of the experts will jump in and tell us why there are DB components but no DB table

[rhesusminus · Accepted solution]

This is jsut that Autodesk hasn't added any distribution blocks to the default database. It's the same with ground bars. If you press OK on that "error message" you can generate the missing table by pressing this button:

[StevenGLSF29]

Thank you for looking into this! I was just very surprised there was not a table by default after finding "DB" in the "family Type" list, Creating the table should not be an issue. 

[rhesusminus]

Yeah. I completely understand the confusion. Autodesk is completely ignoring the need for up to date catalog information as well (https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/autocad-electrical-forum/catalog-data-table-updates/m-p/12978635#M835... )

I'm working with Eplan now, so I work in the opposite direction. I start with an empty database and just download parts data as needed instead. Then it won't list "families" without tables 🫤